PETALING JAYA: The absence of higher ranked teammates Lee Zii Jia and Ng Tze Yong has opened the door for shuttler Leong Jun Hao to shine in the men’s singles of the Korean Masters in Gwangju.
World No. 11 Zii Jia and world No. 15 Tze Yong have both decided to withdraw from the tournament to have sufficient time to recover from a hectic tournament schedule.
This has left world No. 43 and newly crowned KL Masters champion Jun Hao as the highest ranked Malaysian left in the tournament starting today.
Jun Hao is out to seize the opportunity. He was supposed to play Tze Yong in the opening round but will now await a qualifier.“Hopefully, I can bring out my best performance again. Physically, I’m still good after playing until the final in the KL Masters,” said Jun Hao.
Jun Hao needs consistent results to break into the top 32 by the end of the year.
The 24-year-old will also compete in the Japan Masters from Nov 14-19 before ending his year at the Super 300 India International from Nov 28-Dec 3.
Meanwhile, the other Malaysian representatives in the men’s singles in South Korea are independent duo Cheam June Wei and Soong Joo Ven, who will play each other in the first round.
In the women’s singles, independent player S. Kisona will be the country’s sole representative and will meet Taiwan’s Liang Ting-yu in the opening round.
In men’s doubles, national pair and world No. 24 Goh Sze Fei-Nur Izzuddin Rumsani will be the highest ranked Malaysians in the tournament and will play a qualifier. The pair’s biggest challenge will likely come in the quarter-finals against home favourites and reigning world champions Kang Min-hyuk-Seo Seung-jae.
The other Malaysian pairs in the fray are KL Masters runners-up Low Hang Yee-Ng Eng Cheong, Yap Roy King-Wan Arif Wan Junaidi, Tan Wee Kiong-Nur Azriyn Ayub, Boon Xin Yuan-Wong Tien Ci and Lwi Sheng Hao-Jimmy Wong.
In the mixed doubles, the country’s best hopes will be on world No. 10 Chen Tang Jie-Toh Ee Wei, who have been drawn against Taiwan’s Chen Zhi-ray-Yang Ching-tun.
The other pairs are KL Masters winners Chan Peng Soon-Cheah Yee See, Goh Soon Huat-Shevon Lai Jemie, Tan Kian Meng-Lai Pei Jing, Hoo Pang Ron-Cheng Su Yin and Roy King-Valeree Siow.
